Ring book mechanism



1939- c. R. EHRLQUND ET AL 2,174,625

RING BOOK MECHANISM Filed Jan. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l I i fi l j i g 06L 3, Q R, EHRLUND ET AL 2,174,625

RING BQOK MECHANISM Filed Jan. 21, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RING BOOK MECHANISM Carl Rudolf Ehrlund and Johan Edvard Magnusson, Stockholm, Sweden 4 Claims.

This invention relates to loose leaf binders of the type provided with separable rings for retaining the leaves and usually termed ring book mechanisms.

In using such binders for visible index record systems it has been proposed to arrange the two sets of half-ring sections shiftable longitudinally with respect to each other to facilitate the use of the ring book.

The main object of the invention is to provide a ring book mechanism which will permit this shifting and which is of simple construction, easy to operate and reliable in use.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a ring book constructed according to our invention and containing leaves arranged according to the well known visible index record system the covers which are only partially shown being laid out flat.

Figure 2 is a similar plan view with one set of ring-half sections shifted longitudinally and the leaves rearranged.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the ring book mechanism with parts of the cover laid out flat the ring-half sections being shown in the position illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 5 Ba fragmentary top plan view of the ring book mechanism with the rings in open position.

Figure 6 is a section of a modification of our device on line 6-6 in Figure '1.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary top plan view of this modified structure with the rings omitted for the sake of clearness.

In the drawings we have indicated two book covers I and 2 hinged at their inner edges to a book back 3. Secured to the inside of book back 3 is an arcuate spring clip 4 operatively connected at its longitudinal edges to the outer longitudinal edges of two plates 5 each supporting one longitudinal row of half-ring sections 6. Secured to plates 5 by rivets 8 or other convenient means are plates 1' which in the structure illustrated in Figures 1-5 are provided with hinge eyes 9 below the longitudinal edges of plates 5. Spring clip 4 at each longitudinal edge is provided with hinge eyes [0, three hinge pins ll, I2 and I3 being passed through the three longitudinal rows of hinge eyes to form hinge joints between the inner longitudinal edges of plates 5 and between the outer longitudinal edge of each plate 5 and the adjacent longitudinal edge of spring clip 4.

As may be seen from Figures 4 and 5 the outer and inner hinge eyes 9 of the left-hand plate 5 are longitudinally shiftable between the adjacent hinge eyes [0 of spring clip 4 and between the inner hinge eyes 9 of the right-hand plate 5 a distance equal to the distance between successive sections 6. On the other hand, the hinge eyes 9 at the outer longitudinal edge of the righthand plate 5 fill up the spaces between the adjacent hinge eyes 10 of spring clip 4, said plate 5 being thus held against displacement in the longitudinal direction of spring clip 4. Consequently, in the open condition of sections 6 illustrated in Figure 5 the left-hand plate 5 can be shifted downwardly a distance equal to the distance between two adjacent sections 6 and the ring-half sections then closed as shown in Figure 4. In this shifting hinge pins I I, I2 form guiding members for the left-hand plates 1.

In the closed position of ring sections 6 the inner longitudinal edges of plates 5 are situated at a level somewhat below that of the outer 1ongitudinal edges of plates 5 as shown in full lines in Figure 3, to secure a toggle action well known 30 in ordinary ring book mechanisms of the spring type. The ring sections 6 are yieldingly held in their closed position by means of spring clip 4. When the rings are to be opened the ring-half sections 6 are pulled apart whereby spring clip 4 is bent outwardly against its own resiliency until plates 5 are moved beyond the same plane whereupon plates 5 under the action of spring clip 4 spring upwardly into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3. In this position spring clip 4 is free from tension. This feature is of considerable importance as it enables an easy manual longitudinal shifting of the left-hand plate 5 with its associated ring halves 6 with respect to the other plate 5.

In the modified construction shown in Figures 6 and 7 longitudinal strips 1 are rigidly secured to the underside of the ring supporting plates: 5 by rivets l6 likewise serving to secure the ring halves 6 to plates 5. Strips l are provided with longitudinally spaced hinge eyes 9 at their adjacent longitudinal edges to form a slidable hinge joint therebetween just as in the structure previously described. At their external longitudinal edges strips I carry a plurality of projecting 55 tongues l1 traversing a plurality of slots l8 adjacent the inwardly bent longitudinal edges IQ of spring clip 4 and likewise inwardly bent at their projecting free ends. As may be seen from Figure 7 the tongues ll of the right hand strip 1 fill up slots l8 whereas the tongues ll of the lefthand strip 1 are longitudinally slidable in slots [8 so as to allow for a longitudinal shifting of the left-hand plate 5 just as in the structure illusstrated in Figures 1-5. In this shifting plate 5 is guided on hinge pin [2 as well as in the trough formed by the returned bent longitudinal edge l!) at the left-hand side of spring clip 4;

In Figure 1 we have shown the leaves l4 arranged in stepped relation to make a margin [5 of each leaf visible in the manner well known in the visible index system. When it is desired to make a rearrangement in this system, for instance, by inserting a fresh leaf between two leaves retained by the rings the rings are first opened and the left-hand plate 5 pulled downwardly into the position illustrated in Figure 2 whereupon the ring halves B are closed as shown in this figure. A group of leaves is thereupon shifted on the rings from the right-hand cover 2 to the left-hand cover I as illustrated in Figure 2 the rings being then opened and the fresh leaf placed on the right-hand ring halves 6 in proper stepped relation to the leaves remaining on the right-hand cover 2. The left-hand plate 5 is then returned to its original position, the ring halves 6 closed and the shifted leaves returned on the rings to the right-hand cover 2. It will thus be seen that the leaves may be rearranged Without moving them out of engagement with the rings at any time.

The present ring book mechanism may also be constructed for use with leaves the holes of which are spaced at a distance which is only onehalf of that between two successive rings. In this modification the left-hand ring supporting plate 5 need only be shifted a distance equal to one-half of the distance of two adjacent rings whereby the ring halves 6 are brought out of alinernent and moved by spring clip 8 to a position in which their ends overlap so that the leaves also in this case may be shifted from one side to the other without at any time leaving the rings.

In order to explain our device we have shown and described a specific structure as an exemplification of an embodiment of our invention but we do not desire to restrict ourselves to the exact shape, form or relation of parts as various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A ring book mechanism comprising a spring back plate, a pair of split-ring carrying plates provided with a pl tuality of tongues at their external longitudinal edges, a plurality of slots at the longitudinal edges of the spring back plate for holding said tongues in pivotal relation to said spring back plate, the tongues of one ring carrying plate being slidable in said slots, hinges interconnecting said ring carrying plates at their internal longitudinal edges and longitudinally spaced to allow for a relative longitudinal shifting of said ring carrying plates, said spring back plate being substantially free from tension in the open condition of the rings to facilitate said longitudinal shifting.

2. A ring book mechanism comprising a spring back plate, a pair of split ring carrying plates, pintle type hinge joints having eyes connecting the external longitudinal edges of said ring carrying plates to the adjacent edges of said spring back plate and interconnecting the internal longitudinal edges of said ring carrying plates, the hinge eyes at both edges of one ring carrying plate being longitudinally spaced to allow for a longitudinal shifting thereof, said spring back plate being substantially free from tension in the open condition of the rings to facilitate said longitudinal shifting.

3. A ring book mechanism comprising a spring back plate, a pair of toggle plates connected with said spring back plate, said toggle plates having opposed rows of half-ring sections non-slidably and rigidly secured thereto, the connections between the toggle plates and back plate being at the external longitudinal edges of said plates, and the toggle plates being interconnected at their internal longitudinal edges by pintle-type hinge joints constructed to allow for a relative longitudinal shifting of said ring-carrying toggle plates, said spring back plate being substantially free from tension in the open condition of the rings to facilitate said longitudinal shifting.

4. A ring book mechanism comprising a spring back plate, a pair of toggle plates connected to said spring back plate, said toggle plates carrying opposed rows of half-ring sections non-slidably secured thereto, the connection of said toggle plates with said back plate comprising pivots at the external longitudinal edges of the toggle plates connecting said edges to the adjacent edges of said spring back plate, said toggle plates being interconnected at their internal edges by longitudinally spaced pintle-type hinges to allow for a relative longitudinal shifting of said ring-carrying plates, said spring back plate being substantially free from tension in the open condition of the rings to facilitate said longitudinal shifting.

CARL RUDOLF EHRLUND. JOHAN EDVARD MAGNUSSON.

longitudinal 

